Vulkanogena

Vulkanogena is a geological term used to describe materials, rocks, and processes that originate from volcanic activity. The term is applied to products produced at or near volcanoes and subsequently redistributed by sedimentary and tectonic forces. In sedimentology, volcanogenic materials include pyroclastic fall and flow deposits such as ash layers, pumice, and ignimbrites, as well as volcaniclastic sediments produced by fragmentation and transport of volcanic rock. Volcanogenic deposits also encompass lahars and pyroclastic surges that mix volcanic material with water.

In sedimentary basins, volcanic ash and other fragmental material can accumulate as volcanogenic sedimentary rocks, including tuffs and tuffaceous sands. Subsurface and submarine volcanism creates volcanogenic sediments on the seafloor, such as submarine ash layers and tuffaceous mudstones. In ore geology, volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits are a notable example, formed by hydrothermal fluids associated with volcanic activity at mid-ocean ridges and island arcs.

The term is used to describe environments ranging from subaerial volcanic edifices to submarine volcanic settings and rocks ranging from unconsolidated ash beds to consolidated rocks that exhibit volcanogenic characteristics. The designation emphasizes genesis and association with volcanic processes, distinguishing these materials from purely igneous or non-volcanic rocks.